The Supreme Court today refused to give Missouri permission to immediately execute a man who killed a teenage honor student. The court's 9-to-nothing action was procedural, however, because the stay was already set to expire at 5 pm. Separately, the court acting without Alito, rejected Michael Taylor's appeal that argued that Missouri's death penalty system is racist. Taylor is black and his victim was white. Taylor's fate remains uncertain. He could still be executed as early as today. Or the Supreme Court could grant a stay of execution on another appeal over whether the state's lethal injection method is painful to the inmate.